CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Sgt. Douglas Felter of the 84th Engineer Combat Battalion was with his daughter, Jade, yesterday after ceremonies at Sills Field at Schofield Barracks. The event honored 500 soldiers before they were to leave for Iraq.
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84th Engineers heading to Iraq again
At least half of the unit spent just less than a year at home
FOR THE SECOND consecutive year, there will be "an empty chair" when Tina Marshall sits down for Christmas dinner with her family in New York.
And there is the possibility that come Christmas 2007, Capt. Andrew Marshall, commander of Bravo Company of the Schofield Barracks' 84th Engineer Combat Battalion (Heavy), will miss his third Christmas with his wife, Tina, since graduating from West Point in 1999.
During the next two weeks, the 84th Engineer Battalion, commanded by Lt. Col. Mark Toy, will be leaving for Iraq for the second time in less than 11 months. At least 50 percent of the 500-member Wahiawa unit will be returning to Iraq for the second time, having spent just less than a year at home.
Yesterday, Schofield Barracks' Sill Field was the site of what has become an all too familiar scene at Army and Marine Corps posts: farewell wartime deployment ceremonies.
Toy, who assumed command of the engineer battalion this summer, acknowledges that it is a challenge.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Sgt. Ola Famuyiwa of the 84th Engineer Combat Battalion kissed his wife, Elizabeth, yesterday after ceremonies at Sills Field at Schofield Barracks. The events honored 500 soldiers who are heading for Iraq.
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"My focus when I first came on in July," said Toy, 40, "was to spend the time to talk to the family members and make sure and reassure them and develop a strong family readiness group so that we can take care of the families when we are deployed."
Tina Marshall said the families knew a second tour of duty was coming.
"It's sad," she said, "but they are definitely ready."
Her husband, Andrew, said: "We all know the higher purpose, which is the defense of the nation. We're an all-voluntary army. ... We're here to fight terrorism in their country before it comes here. We knew it would be a long fight."
Two soldiers from the 84th Battalion have been killed in combat. On May 1, Staff Sgt. Oscar D. Medina, 32, of Chicago and Spc. Ramon C. Ojeda, 22, of Ramona, Calif., died south of Al Amarah when their convoy was attacked.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
On her second deployment to Iraq, 84th Engineer Combat Battalion's 1st Lt. Melina Juan, second from left, stood with her grandfather Cary Cuenco; mother, Leilani; and father, Ernie. Juan has four brothers. One of her younger brothers has just returned from Afghanistan.
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The Schofield Barracks engineer unit is expected to replace the 94th Combat Engineer Battalion in the Mosul and Balad areas of Iraq.
As the Wahiawa unit prepares to face another combat tour in Iraq, more than half of its soldiers have already served there with the 25th Infantry Division or other units.
Toy said that "a perfect 12-month deployment is accomplishing all our missions and, most importantly, bringing everyone home safely and alive."
First Lt. Melina Juan, a 2003 University of Hawaii Army ROTC graduate, will be returning to Logistical Support Area Anaconda, 50 miles north of Balad, for her second combat tour as a platoon leader in charge of 38 soldiers with Bravo Company. There are at least 28 Iraqi combat veterans in her platoon.
The last time her unit was in Iraq, its mission was to build gazebos, buildings and roads. She anticipates that much of next year will be taken up with the same tasks.
Next summer, another 7,000 Schofield Barracks troops are scheduled to be deployed to Iraq.